Namesake Series: It's All, or Nothing
by LGravin4
Summary: James S. Potter's life parallels that of his grandfather's. Now it's finally time for him to go to Hogwarts, but is the school ready for a new generation of Marauders? Follow James and his friends as they discover their place at Hogwarts, while learning to deal with teachers and enemies, and sometimes teachers who are enemies.
1. Birthday

Summary: It's finally time for James S. Potter to go to Hogwarts, but is the school ready for a new generation of Marauders? Follow James and his friends as they discover their place at Hogwarts, while learning to deal with teachers and enemies, and sometimes teachers who are enemies. Outside of the castle walls, Harry and his team of Aurors are introduced to an ominous new threat of a gang of Dark Wizards.

A/N: This is a repost of a story I had posted on an old account. I had originally planned to do a rewrite, but have decided instead to write some more laid back stories instead until I get inspiration back for this one. I'll be gradually reposting chapters from this series, and hopefully be back to adding new chapters soon!

As always thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy.

_Disclaimer: Do not own Harry Potter now, or ever._

Chapter One: Birthday

All was quiet in one James Potter's room. His chest peacefully inflated and deflated as the first ray of sunshine passed through his second story window. The boy's parents peaked their heads in his room; briefly watching their young son sleep from the doorway. It was no ordinary day in the Potter house. Today was the day James Sirius Potter turned eleven.

"Let's wake him up," his mother, Ginny Potter, eagerly suggested.

"No," his father shook his head. "I like him better this way."

"Harry."

"I'm serious," he continued. "Awake he's a devil, asleep he can't do much of anything. I say we find a freezing charm and use it."

Ginny smiled, and shook her head at her husband. "He isn't that bad."

"Remember last year's birthday?" Harry questioned, with a smirk across his face. "Are you sure you want to put yourself through that again?"

She narrowed her eyes at Harry playfully. Last year James had received two whole boxes of fireworks from his Uncle George. Needless to say, their home hardly survived the expulsion when he attempted to light all of them at the same time. Ginny always thought George was more to blame for the incident than James; who gives a ten-year-old excess to that many fireworks?

"I think I'll take my chances," said Ginny, entering her son's abnormally clean room. He must have cleaned to improve his chances of getting the presents he'd asked for.

Harry followed her with the same smile on his face. He liked to joke about his son's rowdy behavior and his high energy level, but he could never really freeze James into sleep. He'd miss the boy too much, even if he was a lot of trouble to take care of.

"James," said Ginny, gently rubbing the boy's shoulder, "wake up."

The brown headed boy stirred, but did not open his eyes.

"Wake up," she repeated. "It's your birthday."

This time, James opened his brown eyes, and rubbed them tiredly. "What time is it?"

"Almost seven," Harry answered. James made a moaning sound at the news, and pulled the blankets over his head. It didn't seem to matter to him that it was his birthday.

"Too early," he told his parents from under the covers.

Ginny and Harry exchanged amused looks. Clearly their son had undergone some sort of transformation. Just months ago, James would rise before his parents, and be energized, ready to take the day with force. Now he complained that it was too early? They left their son's room with a bittersweet feeling that James Potter was growing up after all.

It was a good two hours later by the time James join the rest of his family at the dining room table. The beautiful aroma of his favorite breakfast had taunted him until he finally gave in, and worked up the strength to make it down the stairs. He stacked his plate high with chocolate chip pancakes and bacon in a zombie-like state.

"Happy birthday, James!" His little sister Lily said entirely too loudly.

"Thanks, Lils," he grunted back. His brown hair stuck up in all different directions; his eyes were glazed over with sleep.

"Why are you so tired?" asked Harry, taking a sip of his coffee. A copy of the Daily Prophet lay face up on the table by him.

"Dunno," he shrugged, reaching for the half-empty milk carton. "What time is everyone getting here?"

"Around six," said Ginny.

"What time do I get to open my presents?"

"Whenever we get around to it," answered Harry.

He could hardly wait to rip the wrapping paper off the packages, and see what the boxes held inside of them. Most of all, he wanted to see if he had gotten what he wanted more than anything in the world: a puppy. He didn't mind getting nothing at all, just as long as he got a dog. It's the only thing he wanted in the whole world. The only present he cared about.

James sighed, and poked at his pancakes with a fork. "When will my Hogwarts letter come?"

"Soon," his mother answered with a monotone. James had come accustom to asking that particular question at least twenty times a day. Each time, whether from his mother or his father, he received the same answer.

"Well, I can't wait," James bit the side of his lip, and picked up his knife, holding it like a sword. "I'm gonna be a Gryffindor!"

"But what if you're not?" Al spoke up for the first time. "You don't get to chose which house you're in, do you? The Sorting Hat does."

James narrowed his eyes at Al. "It'll put me in Gryffindor."

"Unless it doesn't," Al continued with a smile. "It could put you in Slytherin."

"I'd leave," James said immediately. Al only shrugged and returned to eating his food quietly, satisfied that he was able to rattle his big brother, even if it was only a little bit.

"Why does everyone hate Slytherin?" Lily piped up.

"Because that's where all the bad people go!"

"James!" Ginny scolded. She gave her oldest son a look that told him to be quiet. "Slytherins just haven't made a good name for themselves, that's all. A lot of Death Eaters were from that house."

"I think Al will be in Slytherin," said James.

"I will not!"

"Of course you will," James dropped his fork. "It's in your name. Albus Severus Potter, ASP, a snake!"

Al frowned. "That doesn't mean anything."

"Daddy, is Al going to be a Death Eater?"

"No, Death Eaters aren't around anymore," Harry assured his daughter quickly. He then, turned to his son. "James, cut it out. There's nothing wrong with being in Slytherin."

"Yeah, well, you have to say that, don't you?" James questioned. "None of us have been Sorted yet." This got a nod of agreement from Al.

Neither Harry nor Ginny decided to offer anymore comments on the conversation. Once their children got started on something, there was no stopping it, especially with James. It was best just to let them say foolish things rather than to correct them. They'd learn it on their own eventually.

As for Harry, there was no doubt in his mind that James would in fact be sorted into Gryffindor. The boy had too much of the first James Potter to be placed anywhere else. Not to mention a striking behavioral resemblance to one Sirius Black. Maybe naming the boy James Sirius was too much. Maybe, Harry thought, he should have thought it through more, but then again, he got the feeling James would be James, no matter what name they had given him.

* * *

James spent the rest of the day being a pain to his parents. Things were dull around the Potter house, and he was starting to feel like waiting until six o'clock for his birthday party to officially begin was torture. Much to James's fortune, his Uncle George and Aunt Angelina showed up an hour early with their children, Fred and Roxanne.

While Roxy was too young for James to enjoy hanging around, Fred was only a couple of months older than him. Fred and James had been good friends since they were both one, and the pair of them looked forward to wrecking havoc at Hogwarts together in the Fall.

Shortly after the small family's arrival, it didn't take long for the rest of the Weasleys to begin rolling in. His Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione were next, and with them they brought two of the biggest packages James had ever seen. He cornered Hugo and Rose, hoping to get the identity of the presents out of them.

"My mom said not to say," Rose told him in one of the most annoying voices he had ever heard. James turned his charming smile on her younger brother.

"And I'm not suppose to let you and Fred immediate me," recited Hugo, like some sort of robot, causing James's grin to melt into a frustrated frown almost instantly.

"Honestly, have some patience. It isn't as if you have to wait much longer," said Rose.

James rolled his eyes at both Rose and Hugo. They were absolutely no help to his thirsty curiosity, and so he and Fred ignored the both of them while they ran off to play with Al and Lily.

"Freddy," James sighed as he collapsed on the couch in the family room. "Do you ever get the feeling that we're the coolest ones in the family?"

"All the time." Fred sat down next to him.

Weasleys of all different ages began to pour into the house, and James grilled each one of them about his presents. He didn't get any information, which eventually caused him to change his approach. Instead, James went straight to his mother and begged her to let the present opening commence, though this didn't do him any good. She insisted that they wait until after they have cake, and also insisted they wait to do the cake until after his grandparents got there.

After what seemed like hours to James, his parents finally announced that it was time. The rather large family squeezed into the living room where his pile of presents was located. James sat in the center of it all, and was immediately handed presents to open.

James went at the wrapping paper like he was in a race. In less than twenty minutes, every package had been opened and examined. He was well pleased with the gifts. He had received tons more of Weasley's Wizards Wheezes products, a bunch of sweets, two homework planners (one from Aunt Hermione and another from Uncle Percy) and various other small but usefully entertaining knick-knacks. There was also some money from the less creative family members.

"Well, son, did you get everything that you wanted?" Harry asked James in front of the entire family.

"Yeah," James lied, softly.

Though he harbored a great amount of disappointment about not getting a puppy, he did not want to seem ungrateful for what he did get. He was grateful, and extremely so. James had heard the stories about the way his father's birthdays went when he was a child.

"Hmm, I guess I'll have to tell your mother to take him back, then," said Harry, causing a confused expression to form across James's face.

Before James could comprehend what Harry was telling him, his mother strolled into the living room with a tiny ball of fur in her hands. It was a black and white puppy, barely bigger than the palm of Ginny's hand, with a blue bow on his head. A series of 'awws' came from the female cousins, while the males looked on indifferently. James jumped to his feet.

"You actually got me a dog!" James gasped. He ran to his parents, gave them both a fleeting hug, and scooped his new puppy up in his hands. "You're the best parents ever!"

Once the excitement over the newest addition to the Potter family died down, Weasleys began to disappear as quickly as they appeared. Families created a line in front of the fireplace, and soon it was only the residents of the house that remained.

Sitting on the floor with his new puppy in his lap, James looked around at all the ripped up wrapping paper and a pile of his new stuff. It had been a great day, minus all of the waiting, and he couldn't help to feel like he just lived the best birthday ever.

* * *

A/N: ... what do you think? Keep in mind, this chapter is the groundwork, a starting point... I expect things to pick up. Also, I am not above taking suggestions if they are good ;)

Next Chapter: Meet the four new members of the Marauders (though you've already met two) as well as their new enemy and a Muggle-born girl with an instant dislike for the group.


	2. Instant Enemies

_Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter_

Chapter Two: Instant Enemies

James walked a few feet in front of his parents with the black and white dog he had named Ace by his side. Though Ace had gotten much bigger since James's birthday, it was still evident that the puppy had some growing to do. It bothered James having to leave Ace behind, and he began to complain to all those who would listen about Hogwarts being prejudice against dogs. Students were allowed a car, toad, or owl, but no dog? That didn't seem fair to James.

Behind him, Harry pushed the trolley with all of James's belongings while Ginny desperately tried to console a sniffling Lily. Al had also come along to King's Cross Station, but he hadn't made a sound the whole way. During the last week preparing James for Hogwarts, Lily had become sad and prone to crying while Al grew quiet and sullen. His younger brother would never admit it, James had a distinct feeling he would be missed by both his siblings during the school term.

Keeping an eye out for Fred, James helped his father load his trunk into the Hogwarts Express. A loud, warning whistle sounded as fresh steam poured from the engine. It was nearly time for the train to depart from the station.

"Honey, did you pack everything?" Ginny asked as she watched them load James's things.

"Yes, mum," muttered James, slightly annoyed. It was only the fifth time she'd asked him that same question.

It was just at that moment that Lily made the most terrible sound before running to James and throwing her arms around him. "No! I won't let you go!"

James kneeled down to be eye level with his sister. "It's alright, Lily. I'll be back before you know it. Besides, I have to go."

"But I – I don't – want – you to – go," Lily talked between sobs.

"I know you don't," James told her, grimly. He didn't know what else to say; he wasn't exactly good at comforting younger kids. After all, he was only eleven himself. He didn't have much experience to draw on. At just the right moment, James saw Ace pass by the corner of his eye. "I have a very important mission for you while I'm away."

Lily pointed her eyes at James as if she were trying to figure out if he were telling the truth. "You do?"

"Of course I do," James continued, patting his dog on the head. "Who else can take care of Ace? It's not like I can trust Al to do it."

"Well, that's true," agreed Lily as she bit her lower lip. Finally, she let loose a full-fledged smile.

"I'm going to miss you, Lils." James hugged her before standing up straight. He turned his eyes on Al. "You, not so much.

Al returned the comment with a glare. "Bye, James."

"Be good, James," his mum started in on him. She knew her son too well. "And please, at least wait a week before you and Fred start that pranking nonsense. I don't want to be owled the first day you're at school. You didn't pack any of your Uncle George's joke products, did you?"

"Of course not," James lied easily.

"Right," she said, though her tone suggested she wasn't convinced, but what could she do? Boys would be boys.

James looked around to make sure no one was watching before giving his mother a hug and permitting her to kiss him. His father gave him a quick hug as well, and also gave him a speech about staying away from trouble.

"Bye, see you at Christmas," said James, shortly before disappearing into the Hogwarts Express.

He strolled down the main aisle of the Express, searching for Fred, or for an empty compartment. James found neither. Instead, he slid open the door of a compartment with a boy sitting alone. The occupant of the compartment did not appear to be old enough to be a second year or above. In fact, he was slighter and smaller than James.

"Mind if I join you?" James asked, though he had already entered the compartment.

"No, I don't mind," he answered as he wiped blonde hair out from his eyes. He extended his hand out, and James shook it. "I'm Sam."

"James Potter." He sat down directly across from Sam.

He expected Sam to ask or comment on his last name, the way everyone else did, but the blonde boy never did, much to James's delight. Maybe he's a Muggle-born, James thought, though he noted Sam didn't have the initial frightened appearance most Muggle-borns possessed when first introduced to the magical world.

The compartment door slid open again. This time is was two more first years, a boy and a girl. Without saying a word to James or Sam, the pair of them joined the compartment, quickly sitting down.

The girl had walnut brown hair with light highlights that appeared naturally with the sun. She was dressed like the daughter of a king, whereas the boy she was with appeared to have come on the streets. His clothes were two notches worse than shabby, and he lacked a certain quality that James just couldn't put his finger on.

They picked back up on the conversation they had started before they came into the presence of Sam and James.

"None of that matters now," said the boy. "We're finally off! We're going to Hogwarts!"

The girl hesitated, but then smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"You'd better be in Slytherin," he told her in a good-natured tone.

"Slytherin?"

James hadn't been paying them much attention until he heard the S word. He absolutely hated the sound of that house. It's like his mum had said, nearly all the Death Eaters had come from Slytherin. It didn't seem like a good lot to be associated with.

"Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" James aimed the last question at Sam.

"Most definitely," Sam agreed, immediately and without a moment's hesitation. "Which house are you headed to, you know, if you've got the choice?"

"Gryffindor!" James blurted out, excitedly. "With the rest of my family."

The poorly dressed boy made a scoffing sound. James turned on him.

"Got a problem with that?"

"No," the boy sneered, "If you're the sort that likes to be blown up."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"Nothing, it's just, I wonder how many Gryffindors were killed in the war just because they were stupidly reckless."

"It's better than ditching like a frightened little girl I expect you are," Sam commented, and James howled with laughter.

The girl looked back and forth between the three boys, and wasted no time getting to her feet. "Come on, Dylan, let's find another compartment."

James stuck his foot out, attempting to trip the boy. "Yeah, Dylan, go find a different compartment."

Fred and a rather chubby boy entered the compartment just as the Slytherin lover and the girl were leaving. He gave them strange looks as they switched positions.

"Who were they?" asked Fred, once they were on the other side of a closed door.

"Just a couple of Slytherin wanna-bes," James said with contempt. He glanced at the boy who had followed Fred into the compartment. "Who are you?"

The chubby boy opened his mouth to speak, but Fred was just a bit quicker. "This is Cooper Reid. He didn't have anywhere else to sit, so I invited him in with us."

Cooper's face turned flushed at the mentioning of his friendlessness. "I haven't met any Wizards until today."

"Oh," James put his feet on the seat opposite of him. "So, you're a Muggle-born?"

"Muggle-born?"

"Your parents aren't magical," explained Sam.

"Oh, then yeah, I am," Cooper admitted, slowly. "Is that a problem?"

"Blimey, no," James breathed, but then took a moment to think. "Well, I guess it depends on who you ask, but if you ask me, I like Muggle-borns better than the rest of us."

"Why's that?"

"They have a low chance of making Slytherin." James grinned. That wasn't the only reason, but he didn't feel like going into much detail. The good news was Cooper become visibly more relaxed upon hearing James's preference.

"What's Slytherin, anyway?" asked Cooper.

The next few hours were spent explaining away Hogwarts to Cooper. Between the three boys born into the Wizarding world, Cooper learned a bunch about his new school. They told him all about the four houses, and how Gryffindor was the best one. James got to reveal information he learned from his father's stories, and even some dirt on the teachers he got from Teddy and his older cousins. By the time the Head Girl stopped by to tell them it was time to get robes on, Cooper knew more about Hogwarts than most children with magical parents did.

The four boys were barely dressed in their robes by the time the train reached its destination. Excitedly, they pushed their way through the crowd and exited the train. Outside on the platform, Hagrid was shouting for first years to follow him. They, along with all of the other first years, found themselves lakeside with a bunch of small boats that appeared to worn out to sail.

"No more 'n three a boat," Hagrid said, loudly, and carrying a large lantern.

The simple sentence had caused the four new friends to simtinously appear downcast. All of them stared at one another, silently trying to decide who would be left out on their own. Finally, Fred spoke up.

"We'll draw straws for it," he said. "The shortest will have to find a different boat."

"Brilliant plan," said Sam with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "Except we haven't got any straws, have we?"

"Wands then," Fred persisted. "Everyone pull them out."

Fred led by example, and just a short moment later, three more wands were pulled out. Cooper bit his lip nervously as he realized that he had the shortest wand there.

"Bad luck, Coop," said Fred, though his voice sounded more relived then sympathetic. He got into the boat as quickly as possible.

"Rotten luck," Sam agreed, before stepping into the boat and taking a seat next to Fred.

Cooper turned his head around in all different directions until he spotted a boat with room for one more. Curiously, James followed Cooper's stare, but was unhappy to where it led. The only boat with an extra spot happened to belong to that Dylan boy and the girl that had insulted them earlier on the train. When Cooper started to stalk off in their direction, James stretched out his hand to stop him.

"Wait, don't go anywhere," ordered James. "We can get by with four. What's the worst that could happen?"

"We could tip over!" Fred shouted from the boat.

"And then we'd be eaten by the Giant Squid!" Sam put in.

"Giant Squid?" Cooper's voice raised a couple of octaves. "You never said anything about a Giant Squid!"

"Oh relax," James put his hand on Cooper's shoulder. "The thing is harmless."

He proceeded to direct Cooper towards their boat, and let him get in first. After Cooper was settled in, James carefully took a seat on the floor between the two actual seats Sam and Fred occupied. As he sat down, the boat rocked.

"I don't think this is a good plan," Fred warned.

"Stuff it," James told him. "We just have to be still, and we'll be fine."

Before Sam or Fred could utter another complaint, the boat began to drift across the lake with the help of some magic. It was then and only then that the Hogwarts Castle was brought into their sights. The glow from the candles made the skyline of the castle even more beautiful.

Each boy took a slightly difference approach to gazing home their new home. James, having seen the castle plenty of times before, blinked at it indifferently. Sam was almost the same. He briefly acknowledged the building before turning his eyes back on the blackness of the water below them. However, Fred's eyes remained fixed on the castle, and Cooper was gapping so much James started to worry his mouth would be stuck that way forever.

"Cut it out, James," Fred said, randomly.

James's frown was barely visible in the darkness. "I'm not doing anything."

"Seriously, James, that's not funny," repeated Fred, in a sour tone.

"Seriously, Fred, I'm not doing anything," James replied, becoming annoyed at his paranoid cousin.

Fred tore his eyes away from the school and looked down at his leg. Without a moment's warning, he let out a piercing scream. Having what appeared to be a fit, Fred flailed his body about, making the other three boys extremely nervous.

"Get it off me! Get it off me! GET IT OFF!"

Students from the surrounding boats turned their attention to Fred, who continued to endanger the rest of the boat's passengers.

"Calm down," Sam shouted at him, and grabbed at his arm. This didn't do much to stop Fred's episode, and unfortunately for the boys, the tiny, rickety boat couldn't take much more.

Before Fred could yell 'get it off' one more time, the boat tipped to its side, spilling its contains into the freezing cold water. James managed to get his head back above the water in a flash. Though he was now wet, cold, and stranded in the middle of the lake, James had no regrets about his last minute seating arrangement. This way, James didn't lose Cooper to that awful future Slytherin and his girlfriend.

James hadn't the faintest idea of why, but he really hated that guy.

* * *

A/N: Please, please review!


	3. The Marauders and Their Map

_Disclaimer: Still don't own Harry Potter..._

Chapter Three: The Marauders and Their Map

The very first time James Sirius Potter trudged into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he was dripping wet and slightly shivering. Shaking like a wet dog trying to get dry, James splattered water on everyone in his vicinity, causing many complaints from his peers. He grinned, not minding the attention. His last name would gain it anyhow; he may as well do something to earn it.

A chilly breeze made its way across the corridor, and caused James to shot a particularly nasty glare at Fred. Never mind the fact that it was James that had insisted they have an extra person on board, he was perfectly content with blaming the whole incident on Fred.

"Don't look at me that way," Fred muttered, grudgingly.

"A spider?" James's voice mastered an even amount of anger and amusement. "You almost get us drowned and eaten alive by the Giant Squid all because of a bloody spider crawling on your leg?"

"I thought you said the Squid was harmless!" Cooper said, though his statement remained ignored by the cousins.

"Don't you blame this on me," defended Fred. "You're the one who put Cooper in our boat, even after I told you it wasn't a good idea!"

The previously ignored Cooper's face turned bright red at being the object of the boy's argument.

"Pardon me for trying to be nice!" said James. "And hey, that boat would have tipped even if Coop hadn't been in our boat, wouldn't it, Sam?"

"Probably," Sam said almost automatically. He winced at an angering Fred. "Face it, mate. You were flopping around pretty hard and…"

"I was not flopping."

"What do you call it then?"

"…Struggling?"

Cooper, who had been nursing a sickening feeling ever since the boat had tipped, suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter. It had a domino effect on the other three boys. After they thought it over, the event was pretty funny. The four of them got to laughing so hard they hadn't even realized that most of their fellow first years were staring them down with strange looks, and they sure didn't notice the silent arrival of a certain, tall Professor.

It was James who first caught sight of him, and his laughing ceased immediately, killed by the stern expression stretched across the older man's face. He jabbed Sam in the ribs with his elbow, bringing his laughing to a sudden halt as well. Fred and Cooper eventually got the message; dripping wet, all four pairs of eyes were fixed on the Professor.

The man was imitating, to say the least. He towered over the first yeas like a giant over a dwarf. His hair was silky black, and tied neatly into a ponytail on the back of his head. James felt especially grateful that there wasn't any truth to the saying that looks could kill. With the glare that was radiating off the Professor's steel-like eyes, they would have dropped to the floor within seconds of eye contact.

"You are wet," the Professor said, as if they didn't already know. "Why?"

"Sir, our boat tipped over," Fred said in the most polite voice he could come up with.

"You're boat tipped over?" repeated the Professor icily.

James furrowed his eyebrows. "Yes, that's what he just said."

"You realize the journey on the boats has been a tradition for first years at Hogwarts since the school was founded, and never before in the school's history have students tipped their boat over."

"Really?" Sam pretended to be impressed. "And you know that for sure? You must be really old!"

The Professor wiped out his wand from his robes in one, quick movement, and pointed it directly in Sam's face. James was just about to yell out when a sensation of warmth and dryness fell over him. The wand was put back in the teacher's robes before James had even realized what had happened. He and his friends were no longer trickling water all over the place; they were all completely dry.

"I have little time to discuss the use of history books with you," he said, coldly. "I suggest that in the future you four will refrain from deliberately disobeying set instructions, or else I will be forced to subtract points from whichever houses have the unfortunate chore of having you… though I suspect it will be Gryffindor for the lot of you."

James and Sam exchanged grins. All they had heard from the Professor's long winded insult was the part about being in Gryffindor. Fred and Cooper, on the other hand, looked as though they wanted to disappear and never return again.

"Now that that is over with, I believe an introduction is in order," said the Professor, only this time he addressed all first years. "I am Professor Needleback and I teach Potions here at Hogwarts…"

Needleback then went into some boring speech about the four houses, and the rules of the school, which James really couldn't care less about. He didn't need to hear that nonsense; he already knew most of it anyway. Besides, he was much too anxious about the Sorting of himself and his friends to listen to the rude Needleback go into detail about the regulations of Hogwarts.

"Alright, it's time," Needleback finally said. "Stay quiet, and follow me."

The Great Hall didn't look much different from the last time James had seen it about a year ago. While other students remained in awe of the ceiling and it's many other sights, James strutted back into the Great Hall like it was his home. He couldn't help it that he felt comfortable at Hogwarts; he was, after all, James Potter.

Despite his indifference to most things of the Great Hall, he did pay particular attention to the war monument as they passed by it. The memorial was relativity new, having been placed there a year after the Battle of Hogwarts. All of the names of every person ever killed by Voldemort or his Death Eaters were engraved in the stone. With that being said, the tribute was a very large one, and reminded students of the horror of the war.

Every time James saw the monument, he liked to look for his two namesakes: the first James Potter and Sirius Black. From the stories he heard about their Hogwarts days, James got the feeling that they were his kind of people. He wished he could have met them.

When the group arrived at the front of the Great Hall, James searched the Gryffindor table for his god-brother Teddy, who also happened to be Head Boy. He finally spotted him sitting next to his cousin Victoire. The both of them flashed James encouraging smiles.

Professor Needleback cleared his throat to cease the excited whispering among the first years. The chattering died down, and Needleback spoke.

"When I call your name you will come forward, sit on this stool, and I will place the Sorting Hat on you. Once the Sorting Hat makes its decision, quickly join your new house."

Needleback proceeded to stand in his place behind the stool, and pulled out a long piece of parchment. Inwardly, James groaned. This was going to take forever.

"Archer, Reece."

James barely paid attention as Archer sat down on the stool and became a Hufflepuff, just like he barely comprehended as a girl named Aiko Ashdown became a Ravenclaw. Another girl became a Hufflepuff. A number of students were sorted before one name snapped James out from his stupor.

"Dixon, Dylan."

A sure Slytherin, James thought. He watched as the poorly dressed boy from the train walked forward, slightly trembling, but pretending (not well) to have the air of confidence naturally possessed by James. Dixon sat on the stool, and the edges of the tattered old hat covered his eyes.

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat cried, and Dixon seemed to be much less nervous as he joined the green and silver table.

"Shocker…" James whispered to his friends.

Two more students were called and made Hufflepuffs. James, glancing over at Gryffindor table started to become worried. The red and gold had yet to receive any new students; what if the Slytherins outnumbered them?

"Gallows, Sam."

Sam grinned as he marched to the front of the Great Hall, and climbed on the stool Needleback had almost let go of the hat when it shouted very loudly, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Gryffindor table irrupted into cheers; some were pounding on the table's surface with their fists. Clearly, James hadn't been the only one worried about the lack of Gryffindors. Sam joined his new house, getting many pats on the back as he sat down. A girl named Becca Knight was also made a Gryffindor seconds later, and received the same treatment.

Though the spirits of the Gryffindors were raised, Knight had ended their short two student streak. Hufflepuff gained two more students, and Slytherins had won another four.

"Philips, Holly."

The girl from the train approached the stool more shakily than Dixon had. For whatever reason, James found himself paying just as much attention to her Sorting as he had with Sam's. His eyes went to Dixon, noticing the boy seemed particularly anxious. James smirked at his anguish, hoping that Philips would not be made a Slytherin just to spite him.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

James's smirk grew bigger as Dixon frowned. At Gryffindor table, Sam scooted down to make room for her, but upon recognizing him from the train, she split to the opposite side of the table. Sam only shrugged and returned to watching the Sorting.

"Potter, James."

The single name had caused a mass breakout of whispering.

"Did he just say Potter?"

"Do you know who his dad is?"

"I'll bet he's wicked powerful."

James sauntered to the stool with ease. He didn't pay any mind to all the whispers. Growing up as a Potter, he learned to get used to people staring at him and talking about him. It just came with the territory. He looked up at the hat as it was being placed on his head, and listened carefully when the mysterious voice began to talk.

"Mhmm, another Potter, and it's about time… just like your granddad, you are. I know just what to do with you… GRYFFINDOR!"

Again, no amount of sharp glares from the teachers could keep Gryffindor table quiet. James heard Teddy's congratulations over all the rest. He shot the crowd a quick grin, and hurried off to join Sam.

Cooper was next to be Sorted, and much to Sam and James's delight, he was also made a Gryffindor. Fred, with the last name of Weasley, was the last to be Sorted. Of course, everyone wasn't at all surprised when the hat declared him a Gryffindor. All Weasleys were Gryffindors.

Extremely happy about being in the same house, the four new Gryffindor boys could not stay quiet through the Headmistress's speech. The whispers were barely loud enough to harm anyone, but that didn't stop the Philips girl from glaring unnecessary at them. Of course, all four boys were too involved into animated discussion to notice when a girl was annoyed.

Simultaneously, multiple whimpers sounded from all across the Great Hall, leaving the boys utterly confused. At that time, McGonagall gave a sad smile to her students, ended her speech, and sat down at her place at the staff table. With the lazy flick of her wand, food appeared in the empty dishes that had been set out on the tables.

"What was that about?" James asked his friends as he piled food on his plate.

"Dunno," said Sam, who had already stuffed his face with food. "Didn't catch it."

James narrowed his eyes across the table at Holly Philips. She seemed like the type that paid attention when teachers talked.

"Hey, Philips," James addressed her. He waited until she turned her vividly blue eyes on him before speaking again. "What'd she say?"

She let out an annoyed sigh. "Maybe if you had been listening instead of talking about nonsense, you would know what she said."

"Nonsense?" James was outraged. "Quidditch is not nonsense! It's only the best sport ever!"

"Oh, so that's what it is, then?" Philips pondered. "I was wondering – with the way everyone talked about it."

"Merlin, Philips," said James. "You didn't know what Quidditch was?"

"I don't come from a magical family," she admitted, quietly, and briefly looked down at her plate.

"That's alright," James said, "Cooper here doesn't either. It is interesting, though."

"And why exactly is it interesting?" Philips' tone changed completely, expecting that James was more than likely about to tell her something offensive.

"That Slytherin bloke who followed you on the train," he trailed off. "Does he know you're a Muggle-born?"

"What's Dylan got to do with anything?" she asked, angrily.

"Just wait and see," James shrugged, and then leaned at her with a smirk. "And don't say I never warned you."

"Can you please just tell us what McGonagall said?" Fred cut in just in time. Holly Philips looked as if she were about to smack James across the face.

"Since you said please," she snipped, still glaring at James. "She said she would be retiring at the end of this year."

"Retiring, huh?" Sam wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "I wonder who'll take her place."

"Who knows?" James leaned back in his chair to take a short break from eating. "I hope it's not Needleback. He is such a –"

"Don't be so loud, James," Cooper said, hotly. "He might hear you."

"So what? I hope he does hear me. He didn't have to be so rude. I say he's the first teacher we prank. Speaking of, I have to show you guys something."

James dug around in his pockets and made sure no one was looking before he pulled out a worn piece of parchment.

"I nicked it from my dad's desk!"

"Er, James," Sam said, "you realize that that is just a spare bit of parchment, right?"

"A spare bit of parchment?" James almost laughed, and Fred threw him a knowing look of disbelief. "This happens to be an important family heirloom."

"You said you stole it. An heirloom is passed down willingly."

"Whatever," James said. "Do you want to see what it does, or not?"

Sam shook his head, and got closer to him. James pulled out his wand, and gently tapped the front of the parchment with it.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good…"

In bright green letters, the Marauder's Map revealed itself.

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A/N: As always, please review :)


	4. The Potion Master's Advice

_Disclaimer: Nope. still not her._

A/N: This is my shortest chap yet, but the updates are so quick it makes up for it. :)

Chapter Four: The Potion Master's Advice

The next morning at breakfast James along with most of his fellow first years were extremely disappointed upon receiving their timetables. It wasn't good news when the first less of their entire Hogwarts career was double Potions with the Slytherins. Things only seemed to get worse when they remembered Professor Needleback taught Potions.

Along with being the Potions Master, Needleback also happened to be the Head of Slytherin House. It wasn't uncommon for the Potions professor, as nearly all Slytherins excelled in the subject and so far in Hogwarts history, there had never been a Potions teacher who hadn't been in Slytherin as a student.

Before even walking into the dungeons with his friends by his side, James just knew Needleback would be the type of teacher that favored students of his own house. Even worse, the four boys had already had an unfortunate run in with the man the night before. Needleback was no fan of theirs.

James, Sam, Fred, and Cooper chose the table farthest away from where they predicted Needleback would stand. They didn't need a Professor breathing down their necks, especially one like Needleback.

Surprisingly, the Professor was the last person to arrive into the classroom, and a couple minutes late at that. Once he did show, the rowdy and excited chatter stopped straight away. He strode to the front of the classroom with complete confidence.

"Welcome to Potions class," he told them all in a drawing and smooth voice, a small smile played on his lips. "Here, there will be little, and by little I mean none, wand use. I know that deeply disappoints the most of you, but let me assure you, there are many rewards to the divine art of Potion making. Today we will start with something simple."

The instructions and the ingredients for a Boil-Cure Potion appeared on the blackboard behind him. Students got to work immediately, and James was at least happy Needleback hadn't planned on spending the entire lesson period talking about rules and the syllabus like he had expected him too.

Professor Needleback let the class work in fours, but clearly addressed that it was a onetime deal only. Watching the Marauders struggle through the step by step directions, the rest of the students in the classroom understood their teacher's reasoning pretty quickly.

"James! What're you doing? You can't add that until it turns green!" Fred snatched the bottle of Flobberworm Mucus out from James's hands. Sam's reflexes were quick; he grabbed the large bottle away from Fred almost immediately just for the sake of doing it.

"I'm tired of waiting," James complained. "It won't hurt anything if we just add it now. Sam, let me that!"

Sam tightened his grasp on the glass bottle. His blue eyes shifted from Fred to James as he tried to decide which one his friends had the best plan. Sam's own natural was much like James's; he, too, was bored of waiting, but on the other hand, Fred also had a good point. Who knew what would happen if they messed up a step? Sam sure didn't feel like catching fire…

"Fred's right, we shouldn't," said Sam. Behind Fred's back, James frowned but caught the mischievous glimmer in Sam's expression. As soon as Fred had stopped paying attention, Sam began to unscrew the lid of the bottle. "So we will!"

He quickly dispensed the gross liquid into the caldron. For a moment, nothing unusual happened but a good minute later, the potion changed into a violent red color. As it began to make strange crackling noises, all four pairs of eyes went wide. They wasted no time dropping to the floor to avoid being hit by flying pieces of incorrectly brews Boil-Cure Potion.

Dixon, who had been so obsessed with watching his own potion at a nearby table, hadn't heard the threatening sound. He was so involved with what James had called boring that he didn't have the awareness to dodge the mixture when it finally exploded. The red concoction smacked him directly in the face, and seconds later, red and white boils grew across his body.

James wailed with laughter at the sight of Dixon. He and Sam high-fived each other, Cooper chuckled, and even Fred let a small smile form across his lips. The all too convenient accident caused mass hysteria with all Gryffindors, all except Philips. She looked ready to attack, as did Dixon once he caught himself up with what had happened.

"I thought it was supposed to cure boils," said Cooper, "not cause them."

"It does cure them if it's done properly." Professor Needleback glared at Cooper before he rushed to administer Dixon an antidote. The boils left as swiftly as they appeared. "Thirty points from Gryffindor for their determination not to follow directions."

They spent the rest of the period cleaning the mess they had caused. James didn't mind it; the way he saw, the loss of points and the cleaning were both worth the mental picture of Dixon covered in boils. Within ten minutes of scrubbing the floors, it was announced that class was officially over.

"Potter," said Needleback. "Stick around for a moment."

James shrugged, and motioned for his friends to go on without him. On his way out the door, Dixon shot James a triumphant look, which he gladly ignored. He approached the teacher's desk once all of the other Gryffindors and Slytherins had cleared out.

"Sir, I think you should know it was an accident. We never meant to splash –"

"You can relax Mr. Potter," Needleback cut in, "that is not what I wished to speak to you about."

"Oh," said James.

"I simply wanted to give you a piece of advice," he explained.

That didn't sound good.

"I couldn't help but to notice your choice of friends. Just be careful you don't making nice with the wrong sort."

"The wrong sort?" James inquired, after taking a breath. Where did this guy get off telling him who to make friends with?

"Yes, the wrong sort," Needleback continued, seemingly unaware of James's raising temper. "Seeing as your family tree is littered with men and women who put their faith in the wrong type of people, I think you can benefit from putting some well deserved thought into those you call your friends."

James bit his lip. It was one of the few times in his life where he was unsure of what to say. "Um, thanks, sir."

"It is no problem at all, Potter. Now off to class with you."

He didn't waste any time bolting from what he considered to be one of the most strange, awkward, and just plain wrong conversations he'd ever had. James hadn't even been at school for a day, and that bloke wanted to go on about who he hung out with? Better yet, who did he think he was, bringing up his family like that?

It was clear to James that Needleback was attempting to express his disapproval of Cooper; there was no other explanation. Though he was almost one hundred percent sure that was the case, he still didn't have the slightest idea why it mattered so much to Needleback if he was friends with a Muggle-born. Could it be that the Professor was trying to persuade James to buy it to Pureblood ideology? Maybe he wanted him on his side just to say a Potter held the same view.

None of his conclusions made much sense, but he didn't stop trying to work out an explanation. So angrily preoccupied with his thoughts, he forgot to watch his steps, and plowed straight into Teddy Lupin.

"James? What are you doing down this way? You're supposed to be in Transfiguration," Teddy informed him.

"How d'you know that?"

"I'm Head Boy," Teddy said coolly. "I have to know the first year's schedules."

"Oh. Needleback held me after class."

"James," Teddy lowered his voice. "I know he's a prat, but don't go messing around with him you're first lesson. You've got to build up to it, or else he'll have you figured out before you get to pulling anything decent off."

James grinned, and briefly wondered why McGonagall chose Teddy Lupin to be Head Boy.

"It's not like that. He wanted to give me advice."

"What?" Clearly, Teddy hadn't been expecting that one.

With great detail and spirit, James explained to his god-brother the exchange that had him so fired up. He even enlightened him on his theories about Needleback's motivation.

"That's odd," admitted Teddy. "But I wouldn't be too worried. He's probably just trying to mess with your head. Old Needleback is like that. Still, it wouldn't hurt to write your father about it… just so he knows."

"Okay." James doubted his dad would find the incident too troubling with all the stuff he had to deal with while at Hogwarts.

"Speaking of your dad, has he said anything interesting about his work lately?"

"He says loads of stuff about work," James said. He creased his forehead. "But none of it is very interesting. Most of it is downright boring. Why?"

"Curiosity," Teddy answered simply. "I'd better get going. Being Head Boy doesn't get me out of classes…"

James bid Teddy goodbye, and then forced himself to think about something other than Cooper's blood status and Needleback's advice. He resolved to pretend like it never happened; thoughts like the importance of blood purity weren't worthy enough for his time.

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A/N: Feedback makes me happy!


	5. The Half-Blood Gallows

_Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter_

Chapter Five: The Half-Blood Gallows

A month passed by with a considerable amount of fun and equally boring moments. The staff at Hogwarts learned quickly that wherever James Potter and his friends went, disaster followed close behind them. Most of the time they didn't mean for anything disastrous to happen, it just did, and unfortunately for them, it was usually followed by one or more of them in detention.

Classes were great. With the exception of Potions, James excelled at most things effortlessly, which greatly annoyed Cooper, who could barely make his feather float for even a second. As for Sam, he shared in James's unpracticed talent, and Fred teetered slightly above the average line. This created somewhat of a split with the four; while Cooper and Fred studied in the library, Sam and James lounged about thinking of new ways to wreck havoc on the castle.

One particular Saturday afternoon, the two friends sat under a large tree by the lake, enjoying what could have been the last nice day of the year. James had a book called Hexes and Jinxes for Enemiespropped open with his wand lying nearby. Sam watched with little interest as James tried different Hexes and Jinxes on rocks.

"Hey, this one looks promising," James said, and he reached for his wand.

"Look who it is," Sam said darkly, titling his head to the two approaching boys. It was none other than the Bletchley twins. They were identical in every way save that of their houses. Archie was a Slytherin, and Adam haled from Ravenclaw.

James frowned as the dark headed boys insisted on getting closer to them. The Bletchley family were foul people. Just last year his dad had them questioned for a couple of attacks on Muggles that happened nearby their manor. Mr. Bletchley only got off because the lack of convicting evidence. It was just the way he escaped getting put into Azkaban after the war.

"Potter, Gallows," the Slytherin Bletchley greeted coldly.

"How's that Muggle-loving father of yours?" Adam sneered before either boy had a chance to greet them back. It took James a second to realize the question had been directed at Sam, and not himself.

"Fantastic," said Sam, drily. "He sends his love."

"You know, I never understood why a Wizard in his right mind would marry a Muggle," Archie continued where his brother left off.

"I don't expect he is," replied Adam.

"Is that it, Gallows? Should your dear old dad be locked up in St. Mungos?"

Sam ignored the twins, impressing James, who had been soaking up the conversation with confusion. He didn't know much about Sam's family, but clearly the Bletchley twins did.

"If I were Mr. Gallows," said Adam, "I would just have her put down. That's what our dad did when our House Elf got too old to be useful."

This was too much for Sam. He leapt up and had his wand out within a few short seconds. The twins followed suit, though Archie was too slow. He was hoisted up into the air and hung upside down.

"Blimey!" Jame jumped to his feet with his wand in his hand. "That really is a good jinx."

"Let me down, Potter!" shouted Archie.

James did no such thing. Instead, he gave Archie an irritating smirk and turned his wand on Adam. "I suggest you get out of here before we Hex you and your brother into the middle of July."

Adam scoffed before muttering the counter-jinx under his breath. Archie fell to the ground with a great thump. The brothers gave one last time glare at James and Sam before marching off angrily towards the castle.

Though James remained intensely curious as to what the Bletchleys were getting on about, he didn't question Sam on the matter. The subject seemed like a touchy one for Sam, and the last thing James wanted to do was make the situation worse. Besides, there wasn't much to wonder about. Sam's dad was a Wizard. His mother was a Muggle. It was pretty cut and dry.

The boys went about the rest of their lazy Saturday pretending like the event never happened. James never brought it up again. However, one certain question plagued him: why were the Bletchley twins talking as if they knew the Gallows family?

James and Sam decided to spend the rest of day exploring the secret passage ways the Marauder's Map so kindly showed them. They found that several of them led directly into Hogsmeade, which were the ones they were most interested in. Getting into Hogsmeade as a first year sounded like an accomplishment they both wanted to be able to brag about.

Unfortunately, one of the passages was inconveniently located under the Whomping Willow. Neither James nor Sam thought it a good plan to go poking around that death trap, at least not their first year. So they moved on only to be disappointed yet again. The fourth floor mirror passage had been caved in, and though there was plenty of room inside of it, there was getting to Hogsmeade that way.

Next, they decided to head up a passage close to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. By the time they got there, they noticed a pack of first year girls following them, and giggling. James noticed that Holly Philips was not among them.

"Why do girls got to be so annoying?" Sam asked out of frustration.

"I don't know," said James, "I reckon it's their job or something. I can't imagine why Teddy is always hanging around them."

"Maybe we can lose them, and come back," Sam suggested.

"Nah," James said, glancing back at them. "I think it's almost dinner time. Let's head down to the Great Hall, and then come back."

Sam agreed, as he would never turn down a chance at food. The group of girls continued to pursue them. While Sam ignored it, James seemed to know how to handle the attention; he gave them want they wanted. Every once in a while, he shot them a grin, they would bush, and Sam would feel like he was about to be sick.

When they got to the Great Hall, dinner had already started. Sam and James joined Cooper and Fred at the end of the table. Both Fred and Cooper were fixed on a group of Gryffindors surrounding a puffy-eyed girl. James realized that she had been crying; he recognized it from growing up with Lily.

"What's going on over there?" asked Sam.

"Her mum has been attacked," Fred answered, grimly.

"Attacked?"

"Yeah," Cooper said, "at least that's what your cousin Louis told us. He said it was real bad, too. She had the Cruciatus used on her."

James frowned. He remembered that Teddy had asked him about his dad's work a while back; was this what he meant by interesting? Had Teddy been expecting something like this to happen? It seemed as though his god-brother knew something that most others didn't.

In the end, James finally decided to write his dad and ask about it. If anyone knew if the attack was something to worry about, it was his dad. He even included his creepy exchange with the Potion's Professor on the first day of classes in his letter. Hopefully his father would provide him with satisfactory information; if not, he'd have to go searching for it on his own.

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A/N: Sorry for the shortness... I promise a long update next time... and as always, feedback makes me happy.


	6. For the Greater Good

_Disclaimer: Don't own Harry._

Chapter Six: For the Greater Good

"I hate Potions," Cooper complained loudly as the Gryffindor and the Hufflepuffs filed out of the dungeons.

The Potions lesson had been particularly grueling that day; Needleback hadn't been in the best of moods. He spent half the period barking randomly at innocent students like Cooper, and the other half going on about how poorly the class did at brewing the assigned Potion. On the bright side of things, Needleback had ignored James and his trouble-making antics altogether, which he found a bit odd but didn't complain about.

"At least we got Defense next," said Sam, encouragingly, attempting to cheer up Cooper.

Defense Against the Dark Arts had easily become all four boys favorite subject. Not only was Professor Wickstrom young and therefore relevant to his students, his lessons were enjoyable, even when it was a lecture day. James found it especially interesting because he now knew terms his dad would sometimes use at the dinner table.

"But it's with Slytherins," said Cooper.

"Speaking of Slytherins," James said smoothly. His hazel eyes landed on Dixon, and as always, the brunette girl accompanying him. They walked several paces ahead of them. "Why is she always hanging around him? He's a Slytherin. It isn't right."

"Maybe she fancies him," Sam offered, causing James to scoff.

"I don't think so."

"Just because you have a problem with all Slytherins, doesn't mean the rest of Gryffindor House does, James," added Fred.

"I don't have a problem with all Slytherins." James put his hand in his hair, messing it up even more than it had been before. "Just Bletchley and that one." He pointed at Dixon who was wearing school robes that looked much older than the standard hand-me-down appearance.

"I agree, Dixon is just… just," Sam struggled to find the correct adjective.

"A git," finished James.

"Exactly," said Sam.

"So original, you two are," Fred said, rolling his eyes.

With a pleasant jolt of an idea, James grinned devilishly and pulled out his wand. He pointed his head towards Cooper and Fred. "How about I show you a thing or two?"

"I don't think you –"

It was too late. Dixon let out a surprised yelp as he was pulled into the air by his ankle. Philips screamed at the shock of the situation. Sam, Cooper, and Fred burst into laughter. Other witnesses in the area also got a laugh out of it, but Philips, once her astonishment disappeared, became enraged. She turned around quickly, noticed the four pranksters cackling, and opened her mouth, no doubt about to shriek at the lot of them. However, a much louder and firmer voice beat her to it.

"James Sirius Potter!" it shouted.

James's eyes went wide at the sound. He knew that voice. The angry use of his middle name narrowed it down to two people, but neither of those people would possibly be at his school, would they? He turned around slowly and dreadfully only to have his fears confirmed.

"Oh, hi dad!" said James, cheerfully. He nodded at the red headed man standing next to his father. "Uncle Ron."

While Ron was smiling broadly, Harry Potter was not. He flicked his wand downward and Dixon gracefully floated to the floor. Dixon blinked at the adult before gathering his things and continuing his way to the classroom. With a smug smile on her face, Philips followed.

"Dad, these are my friends I wrote to you about, Sam and Cooper," James told him. Sam half waved and Cooper shrunk a little at the sight of war hero. James hoped the introduction would distract his father.

"It's nice to meet you two in person," said Harry with a sincere smile. "Fred, it's good seeing you, too. Why don't you boys head up to class and give me and James a minute?"

"Okay, bye Uncle Harry, bye Uncle Ron," said Fred. Sam and Cooper didn't say anything, but scampered up the stairs, heading towards the DADA classroom.

"James, where did you learn that spell?" Harry asked once his friends were out of earshot.

"I think the more important question is," interrupted Ron, "how he learned that spell. It took us ages to master nonverbal spells like that!"

"Ron, please don't encourage him," said Harry. A brief trace of pride flickered in his expressions, but disappeared quickly. "Now, where did you learn it?"

"From a book," said James.

"What book? Was it a text book?"

"No," James said as though it were obvious. "It was a book that came with Uncle George's birthday presents."

Harry became visibly more relaxed with this knowledge. "And so you decided to use this spell to attack another student?"

"I wasn't attacking anyone," said James, "it was just for a laugh, that's all. Besides, he had it coming."

"Why? What's he done to you?"

"Well," James bit his lip, thinking for a valid argument. "It's really just the matter that he exists."

"I know what you mean, mate," Ron started. "There's this bloke down at the ministry…"

James didn't get to hear much more about Ron's enemy. His uncle was cut off by a sharp look from his father.

"James, we need to have a talk later," Harry said.

"Okay," he said. At least his dad didn't sound all that angry anymore. "What're you two doing here, anyway?"

"We're addressing the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes this week."

"All week?" James groaned.

Harry nodded.

"Just kill me now."

The effects that Harry Potter and Ron Weasley had on first year Hogwarts students were vastly different between the two houses in their current class. Gryffindors were dumb-stuck and filled with awe at the sight of them; Slytherins put on a mask of indifference, and with some them one of contempt. Harry didn't mind either reaction, as he had been use to both at a very young age.

James, who learned to be comfortable with attention at an even younger age, was the only Gryffindor student who didn't appear idol-stricken. As for the Slytherins, James beam at them. He made sure to catch Dixon's eyes with his wild, look-who-my-dad-is smile. If Harry insisted on being there, James may as well take advantage of it.

An intense silence had fallen over all the students. They waited eagerly for Harry or even Ron to say whatever it was they had come to say. James leaned back in his chair. Philips had a blank bit of parchment out to take notes. Sam merely stared at the two man, and Cooper looked like he was about to wet himself.

Harry cleared his throat. "I'm sure you are wondering why we are here today."

"Honestly, I'm still wondering why we are here –"

"You have all heard about the unfortunate attack on Kara Curly." Harry cut off Ron skillfully. He'd had lots of practice over the years, especially when his children were around. "It wasn't the first like it. Ron and I are just going to go over a few things you, as first years, should look out for."

"Firstly," started Ron. He put on a profession voice James had never heard from his Uncle Ron before. In fact, in a classroom setting, even his own father's voice sounded strange. "We've gotten reports that an organized gang may be behind these attacks."

"What's more is," said Harry, "We've had several students reporting that they were approached by a recruiter of this organization. There is no doubt in the Auror Department that they will continue to pursue Hogwarts students."

Maybe that's what Teddy was on about, James thought, thoroughly interested.

"It's important that you report it if you're approached by one of these people."

Philips promptly raised her hand. Harry nodded at her.

"How will we know if they're from the gang, or not?"

"Good question," said Harry. "Unfortunately, Dark Wizards don't have a huge warning sign stamped across their foreheads, but there are a few ways to recognize this particular sect. All reports tend to show they will be in their early twenties, and will repeatedly use the phrase for the greater good."

"Dumbledore said that!" Sam called out suddenly. James let the back two legs of his chair hit the floor. Albus Dumbledore? The same man his little brother was named after?

"It wasn't Dumbledore, you idiot," Dixon retorted, "it was Grindelwald."

"Actually," Harry said, "both of them said it, but it was Grindelwald who made it famous, made the implications of the words so dark. Like Grindelwald, we believe that this group's mission may be to force Muggles into subservice."

"Does that mean Grindelwald is coming back? Like Voldemort did?" asked a rather frightened student.

"No, that would be impossible," Harry dismissed. "Voldemort was a special case. Grindelwald will not be coming back."

"Yeah, someone's only decided to carry on in his name," Ron added, not realizing how scary his words must sound to eleven-year-olds.

Harry and Ron spent the rest of the class period answering questions. Most of them were irrelevant to the gang recruiters, and thus bored James greatly. He'd heard most of his dad's war stories about a million times each, and that was saying something because Harry was never to keen to tell any of his war stories. They ended the class by showing the first years a rather advanced spell, and let them practice it. Only James, Sam, Philips, and Dixon could produce an effective shield by the time the period was over.

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A/N: Review, review, REVIEW

Next chapter is Harry's talk with James, and the Marauder's have their first late night adventure... their first prank!


	7. Prongs

A/N: (IMPORTANT TO THE STORY) I wrote this chapter under the assumption that Harry would not have told James about the Marauders given his trouble-making behavior. James knew about the map, because he stole it, but that's it. After telling James what a great person his dead grandfather was, I don't think Harry would have shared the bullying, pranking, and trouble-making days of James' namesakes. At least not yet. Anyways, done with explaining, here's the next chapter!

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter_

Chapter Seven: Prongs

James pushed opened the heavy door leading to an unused office which would be used by Harry and Ron for their one week stay. It was a fairly big, and James could tell that Harry had made some minor improvements. For example, he didn't think a standard Hogwarts office was complete with two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen area.

Tossing his schoolbag on the floor, James hurried to the oak table where three places were already set for dinner. Behind a few rolls of parchment and a mug of Pumpkin Juice, Harry nodded at his appearance.

"Hey, dad," greeted James, cheerfully. He would never admit it, but it was nice to see his father again. He sort of missed his family. "What'cha reading?"

"A file from the Auror office," Harry sighed as he placed the parchment on the table without another look. "How was the rest of your classes today?"

"Great," he said. "McGonagall nearly had a fit when Sam changed his match into a needle with wings! It flew around so fast; it almost got Fred in the eye!"

Harry faintly smiled, but it quickly disappeared. "You might want to take it easy on Professor McGonagall. Being Headmistress and Transfiguration teacher at her age… it must be tough… and then having to deal with students like you."

"Very funny," James said, smiling. "And I'm sure you were such a delight to have in class."

"I wasn't that bad," Harry told him honestly. "And your Uncle Ron and I never made a habit of jinxing people just for a laugh."

James's face dropped. He knew that would be brought up at dinner, but he thought he would at least have Teddy there to back him up. He briefly wondered what was taking his god-brother so long in arriving.

"I don't make a habit of it," he replied. "It's just that boy… I just don't like him."

"Any particular reason?"

"We met on the train," said James, "And he said Gryffindors got themselves blown up in the war because they were too reckless. He's a Slytherin."

"Oh," Harry said.

"And he's always got this Muggle-born Gryffindor hanging around him," James continued, "I don't trust him."

"Somewhere Prongs is laughing," said Harry in a small, faint voice and a small smile playing on his lips.

"Who's Prongs?" James asked. He tried to mask the surprise in his voice. He wasn't supposed to know that name, and if Harry found out James had heard of the mysterious Prongs before, he would also find out about the stolen Marauder's Map.

"Someone who was a lot like you," said Harry, now grinning.

James had never given much thought to the Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs before. They had just been the names on an object he greatly appreciated. He had never seen them as actual people before, but now it was clear. The map-makers had once walked the Hogwarts corridors; they had pranked, and best of all, Harry said they were like James. He wondered how much information he could get out of his dad without giving his secret away.

"What ever happened to him?" asked James.

"He died, James," Harry said sadly. "Killed by Voldemort himself."

"Oh," James let his back hit the back of his chair, slightly disappointed. "He must have been really talented, to be killed by Voldemort himself I mean."

"He was," Harry agreed.

Before James could ask any more questions about the Marauders, Teddy Lupin barged into the room with a large pamphlet in hand.

"Sorry, I'm late," he said, scrambling to sit down. "I was held up by McGonagall. She's heckling me about picking a future."

"Still don't know then?" Harry asked, and motioned that it was now okay to begin eating the food sitting in front of them.

"Nope," said Teddy. "Being a Healer sounds okay. I would be able to help people, you know? And being an Auror sounds great too. But, I don't know, they just don't seem to suit me very well."

"You'll figure it out eventually," Harry encouraged.

"You should teach Transfiguration," James said, causally.

"Don't be ridiculous, Jame," Teddy dismissed, caught off guard slightly random comment.

"It's not ridiculous," he said hotly. "McGonagall is retiring, and you'd make a perfect Transfiguration teacher!" He seemed to become more excited the more he talked about it. "It's your best subject, right? Plus you have plenty practice with all the tutoring sessions you do."

"He's got a point, Teddy," said Harry.

"Told you!"

Teddy bit his lip, unsure. "Even if I wanted to teach, it's not like you can be one right after graduation, and by then, the position will already be filled."

"Perhaps, but you should still think about it," Harry said.

"I will," Teddy promised.

James spent the rest of dinner half-heartedly listening and participating in whatever conversation that was brought about. His real focus remained on Prongs. It held a fascination with James that he couldn't explain. He had been hooked since Harry had said the words: a lot like you. He wished he could bring it back up without causing suspicion, but ultimately decided against it. It would be too risky.

He did, however, decide he would find out more information on Prongs on his own. If Prongs had been anything like James, someone around the school would have had to known about him, and of that, James was sure.

The First Year Gryffindor dormitory was especially quiet that night. Fred lay across his bed on his stomach while studying his textbook. Cooper stared straight up at the ceiling, and Sam desperately scribbled a Transfiguration essay that was due the next day. James sat up in his bed, tracing areas of the Marauder's Map with his finger.

It was a quite interesting thing to know where everyone was at every given moment. How else would he learn that Dixon spent most of his time in the library with Philips? Or that Needleback paced his office every night for at least an hour? That Teddy had a habit of sometimes sneaking out to the Quidditch pitch at night? Just by knowing their location some of the time, James could up pick important information on everyone within the walls of Hogwarts.

Though on that particular night, James was much more focused on the pathways of Hogwarts. He studied the basement area, and a very strange command appeared there repeatedly.

"Tickle the pear," James said aloud, thinking.

"I would mate, but I haven't got any," said Sam, without taking his eyes from his parchment.

"No," James shook his head, "the map just told me to tickle the pear."

"Oh, well let's do it then!" Sam jumped from his bed. He clearly would do anything to get out of doing his Transfiguration essay. "Where's this pear?"

"The basement, I think," James replied. He also got to his feet. "You guys coming?"

"Count me in," said Fred. "I could use a break anyhow."

"Cooper?"

"I don't know… we could get in trouble, if you know, we're caught," said Cooper.

"The risk is what makes it fun," insisted James.

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "You can't just be Marauder during the day. It's all, or nothing!"

"In or out!" James added.

"Alright, I'm coming," Cooper said before James or Sam could take it any further.

And so with the Marauder's Map in hand, James led his friends down the staircase and into the common room as quiet as he possibly could. Luckily, no one was down there. They were able to escape through the portrait hole fairly easily. James only hoped they didn't run into Peeves, or worst, Filch.

Hogwarts at night was even more magical than Hogwarts during the day. There was no particular reason why James felt this way, though it might have had something to do with the fact that he knew it was against the rules. He had a certain fondness for any activity that violated some official regulation.

James found that he and his friends were very good at sneaking around. It didn't hurt that they had the map, but he had the distinct feeling they would have done well without it. They made it to the basement without any big issues. Now, all they needed to do was that that peach.

"According to the map it should be there," James pointed to a huge portrait. It was a picture of a fruit basket, and sure enough, there was a huge green pear.

"Well, who wants to do the honors?" Sam asked.

"I'll do it." Fred marched to the portrait, rubbed his finger against the pear, and waited. The pear began laughing, much too all boys' amusement. It then turned into a large green door handle which Fred quickly pulled.

The door in disguise led to a fantastic room. James noted it was as big as the Great Hall, with four long tables, replicas of the ones that stood above. There were also a number of large pots and pans in every direction.

"Merlin!" James shouted with a whisper. "I think we've discovered the kitchens."

"This is the best thing that's ever happened to me." Sam's eyes looked as if they were about to pop from their sockets. "Where do you think they keep the food?"

Just as the words left his lips, a female house elf with brown hair and brown eyes popped in front of them Cooper jumped backwards in fright; his friends snickered at him.

"Hello, young masters!" the elf gave a deep bow to the four of them. "I is Winky. Would young masters like Winky to get them anything?"

"Could you?" asked Sam, excitedly.

"Would be Winky's honor, sir!"

Sam listed a ridiculous amount of different cakes, and junk food as well as some Butterbeer. It only took Winky seconds to return with a large silver tray of everything Sam asked for, and more.

"T-thank you, Winky! You're the best house elf ever!" Sam took the tray and immediately sat on the floor to dig in. Cooper joined him, while Fred and James remained in awe of the room they had the luck on stumbling upon.

James quietly sipped his Butterbeer. He'd been allowed to drink it before; the alcohol content wasn't high at all. He personally loved it, but it also made him wonder what the stronger alternative, Firewhiskey, would taste like…

"This place is brilliant," said Cooper, "I'm sure glad I came."

Sam made a grunt of agreement. It was the best he could do with his mouth so full. James, however, stared at the replica of the Slytherin House table. An evil idea crossed his mind.

"Winky," James called, and she appeared before him immediately. "How does the food get up to the Great Hall?"

"Magic, sir!" Winky said, "We put the food on the ones down here. It appears up there!"

"Thanks," said James, his theory was proven to be true.

"Guys," he said with a smirk. His friends looked at him blankly. "I don't think the Slytherins are going to have a good day tomorrow."

* * *

A/N: For the love of all things that are awesome, REVIEW! Please?

Oh, and sorry for my house elf speech, I didn't know quite how to write it. :)


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